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FOOD FOR BRITAIN
THE LORD MAYOR',S FUND, ,1947Permit No. 199.
ELDER CONSERVATORIUM OPERA CLASS
HANSEL AND GRETELHUMPERDINCK
AT THE HUT
Mondan lday lzth
Tuesday, May t3thWednesday, May 14tht947
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK was born in Siegburg, in thcRhein provinces, in 1854. He rose with lightning rapidity to fame. Hcvras a pupil of the famous Rheinberger at Munich and won a prize whichtook him to Italy, where, at Naples, he mer Richard Wagner andreturned with him to Bayreuth to assisr with the production ofttParsifal."
He composed "Ffansel and Gretel" in 1893 and Gustav Kobbcrefers to it as "perhaps the most impoftant contribution to Germanopera.during the decade that followed
'Wagner's death." It achieved
imme&ate popularity everywhere and has been a favourite with musi.cians and the public ever since. It was produced in London in 189t.
A great number of the melodies are German folk songs, but his owninventions are just as successful and beautiful.
This work is a fairy opera in three acts. The story is an old oncof the mother who, finding her children idle, sends them to the woodsto gather strawberries for their frugal meal. Bemoaning their poverty,she falls asleep exhausted, only to be awakened by the riotous song ofher homecoming drunk husband. Fler reproaches are silenced at thesight of the sumptuous food he has brought home. \Ufhen he asksfor the children, he is honified to hear of them being in the woodswhere lives the wicked fairy.
In the woods, the children have eaten all the berries they gathered.unable to find their way home through tiredness and the darkness, theyfall asleep and angels come down to watch over them.
Morning comes and dre dew fairy sprinkles them with dew; theyawake to see the sugar-coveted house with a row of ginger-breadchil&en. lVhen they break ofi and eat bits of t}re house, the wickedwitch comes out and catches them, to imprison them and later bakctfiem in the oven. But iastead, the witch is pushed into the oven-andall ends happily.
Act f: Peter's cottagc in a wood
Act fI: In the forest
Act frl: Thc enchanted gladc
HAI{SEL AND GRETEL
The Cast
HANSEL
GRETEL
PETER (a broom maker)
GERTRUDE (his wife)
SANDMAN (the sleep fairy)
DEW FAIRY
WITCH
ANGELS AND CHILDREN
LORNA GRAYLORNA LEEGEAN FLECKERFAY SUTERKHAMA KEMPSONHEATHER ROBERTSONMARGARET STruFT
